Bellator MMA sensation Johnny Eblen recently opened up about his recent showdown with Fabian Edwards and the dramatic post-fight incident that unfolded. Eblen, often referred to as ‘The Human Cheat Code,’ is making waves in the MMA world with an impressive undefeated record of 14 victories.
Eblen’s journey to stardom culminated in him clinching the middleweight championship, an astonishing feat achieved in June of the previous year when he triumphed over Gegard Mousasi. Since then, Eblen has successfully defended his title on two occasions, the most recent of which was against Fabian Edwards.
The clash between Eblen and Edwards occurred at Bellator 299 on September 23 in Dublin, Ireland. The two fierce competitors went head-to-head for two intense rounds. However, Eblen’s exceptional athleticism shone through, ultimately securing him a victory early in the third round. Eblen managed to drop Edwards and followed it up with a relentless ground-and-pound assault, ultimately claiming victory by technical knockout.
However, the post-fight celebrations took an unexpected turn when Fabian Edwards’ older brother, Leon Edwards, the reigning UFC welterweight champion, took issue with Eblen’s behavior. Following his win, Eblen taunted Edwards in a manner that Leon Edwards found deeply disrespectful.
Leon Edwards confronted Eblen, leading to a heated exchange between the two fighters. Tempers flared, and it seemed like a physical altercation was imminent, prompting Bellator security personnel to intervene and prevent the situation from escalating further. Ultimately, the two fighters managed to resolve the issue, with Eblen offering an apology.
During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Johnny Eblen shed light on the incident from his perspective. According to him, Edwards continued to stare at him disrespectfully even after their staredown had concluded.
Eblen explained, “What happened was, I was fired up, I was talking sh*t. I probably shouldn’t have. I should have been a good sport, I should have walked away and let my fists do the talking, but I can’t exactly remember what I was saying at the beginning.”
He added, “It had something to do with him staring at me. I was thinking about the staredown, and how he couldn’t stop looking at me when they told me to turn towards the cameras, and I thought that was really weird and we kind of got into it. I remember at the end of it I yelled ‘p****’ at him, at the very end. There’s blood, sweat, and just sh*t everywhere. I watched it back, and I could see how someone could possibly think I did, but I was just yelling at him.”
Eblen also addressed the concerning cut he suffered above his eyebrow before securing the victory. The cut was severe, making his face bloodied. Eblen explained how this motivated him to give his all and conclude the match swiftly.
“When they went back to their corner, and I turned around and looked back at them, I guess they got a different angle on my cut, and they all looked at each other and were like, ‘That’s a bad cut.’ I kind of felt some urgency in that round, like, ‘Man, I’ve got to do something big because I don’t know if this fight is going to be stopped or not because of this cut.’ So yeah. I’m just glad I did what I did in the third round and got the finish,” Eblen shared.
Johnny Eblen’s journey in the world of MMA continues to captivate fans, not only for his impressive skills in the octagon but also for the intriguing twists and turns outside it.